Your Guide To The Big Star Wars Release Dates of 2014/2015

The one Star Wars release date that most people seem to care about is December 18th 2015. The release of J.J Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII will arguably be the biggest cinematic event of the decade. But of course, Episode VII is just one new piece in the Star Wars puzzle and with new content (canon and non-canon) hitting just about every form of media possible, the next two years look set to be absolutely huge. This year will be your last chance to sample new releases from Dark Horse Comics before Marvel regain control in 2015, and thanks to the Star Wars Story Group there are four new canon book releases to look forward to between now and March 2015.

We'll be sure to keep this list up to date as we get more info on release dates for highly-anticipated releases like Battlefront 3 and Attack Squadrons, but for now, these are the plentiful dates you need to be pencilling into your diaries.

Written by Matt Kindt Dark Horse's Star Wars: Rebel Heist comic mini-series takes us deeper into the rebel alliance. Each of the four issues will follow a new rebel cast member as they embark on dangerous missions with established characters from the original trilogy. This first issue follows a young rebel recruit whose hero worship of famous rebel Han Solo is crushed by the harsh realities of life in the alliance.

As part of their Star Wars day celebrations, Disney XD will be airing a special episode of their Lego-based New Yoda Chronicles. The episode, entitled Escape from the Jedi Temple sees Luke Skywalker hit a bump in the road with his training. To get Luke's progression back on the right path, a rebel team including Yoda and Obi Wans ghost embark on a dangerous mission to the Jedi Temple.

Escape from the Jedi Temple will air on Disney XD at 7pm and 9pm EST on May 4th.

This is a must-buy for discerning Star Wars fans. This new collection includes 1200 illustrations and storyboards from the concept masters of the original trilogy. What makes this book so special is the never-before-seen Ralph McQuarrie concepts from Episode V. You can read more on the release, here

Following Ania Sola and Jao Assam the Outcasts of a Broken Ring series delves deeper into the Star Wars Legacy era that follows on from the events of Return of the Jedi. These tales may be destined for the can, but that's not to say they aren't incredibly entertaining. This latest volume sees Ania and Jao travelling to a dead planet to track down the Sith Lord Darth Wredd.

A must read for fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir takes a closer look at how the powerful Sith rebounded from his seemingly fatal defeat at the hands of Obi Wan Kenobi and went on to become even stronger than before.

Rebel Heist 2 follows Princess Leia as she goes undercover to snag some crucial Imperial source codes. Leia's not alone though, she has a fellow Rebel spy in the field with her. It's just a shame she thinks Leia's skills leave much to be desired.

The final installment in Dark Horse's comic book adaptation of George Lucas's original 1974 Star Wars vision. This last issue sees Annakin Starkiller tackling Darth Vader, while Luke Skywalker and his Wookie allies attempt to rescue Princess Leia. Warning, don't read this issue without picking up the previous seven, it may be too weird to handle.

This paperback brings together the 3rd Dawn of the Jedi story arc which explores the Jedi movement over 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. There's no Galactic Empire in these days, heck, there's not even a Dark or a Light side!

The mashing up of the original trilogy movies with William Shakespeare's writing style concludes with The Jedi Doth Return. We're not sure anyone asked for these books, but they're here anyway, so we may as well embrace it.

It looks like a kids book, it probably could serve as a kids book, but the chances are kids will not be buying this book. Jeffrey Brown's illustrated book, Goodnight Darth Vader sees the Dark Lord of the Sith struggling with some very real issues...his kids.

The Trade Paperback collection of the brilliant 'The Star Wars' series that pays homage to George Lucas's early vision. Reading The Star Wars is, at times, like living in a weird parallel universe in which Lightsabers are called Lazerswords and Annakin Starkiller and Luke Skywalker are good pals. This collection is also available in Hard Cover and a Deluxe Hardcover will be available on August 13th.

Jeffrey Brown's follow up to Jedi Academy sends us back to "A Middle School Far, Far Away" as Roan Novachez struggles with all the issues one might encounter at school - Robots, Cyber Bullies and Lightsaber duels are all in a days work.

The final entry into the Rebel Heist quadrilogy. Luke Skywalker is being tracked by a talented imperial spy. However, the imperial spy isn't Skywalker's only issue and the our hero soon finds himself having to detour from his mission to save those in need.

A prequel book to the upcoming Star Wars Rebels animated series, Ezra's Gamble is aimed at a junior audience but can serve as a chance for adults to brush up on this new canon entity before it all kicks off in earnest. Ezra's Gamble will be set shortly before Star Wars Rebels Episode 1.

The first new canon novel to be aimed at adults, A New Dawn is set smack bang in 'The Dark Times' between Episode III and IV. A New Dawn will help set the platform the events of the new Star Wars Rebels animated TV show.

The Galactic Strongholds expansion will allow Old Republic players to create and personalize their very own homes. Slightly more exciting is the fact that players will now be able to purchase Guild Capital ships.

Yet another book release in support of Star Wars Rebels. Boy, they're going all out on this one eh? Future chapter companion books include Droids in Destress on November 18th 2014, and The Inquisitors Trap on December 9th 2014.

The fourth trade paperback collection in the series, A Shattered Hope sees Darth Vader on something of a rampage as Luke Skywalker's aids the Rebel forces in more undercover shenanigans to thwart his plans.

A hard-cover, large format collection of some of the most iconic costumes in Star Wars history. From Leia's gold bikini to the original Jedi robes, this book has information on just about everything worn throughout the original trilogy. As well as costumes, this collection also allows readers to get up close with some of the many probs used on set, like Boba Fett's Jet Pack and Blaster.

Arguably the most exciting of the new Star Wars Story Group novels, Tarkin is being touted as giving the famous Imperial leader the Darth Plagueis treatment. The Grand Moff may have only been around for one episode, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the original trilogy. This book should give us a nice insight into just how Tarkin became one of the most powerful men in the galaxy.

Set between Episode IV and Episode V, Heir to the Jedi will be the first book to show us events from Luke Skywalkers perspective. Written by Kevin Hearne, Heir to the Jedi was initially written as the conclusion of the Empire and Rebellion series that charted the events after the Battle of Yavin, in detail. After input from the new Star Wars Story Group, the novel was brought in to be part of the new wave of canon books.

The final book to be announced in the new wave of Star Wars Story Group canon novels, Lords of the Sith gives us a rare look at Darth Sidious and Darth Vader in action together. Author Paul Kemp has teased that the book will heavily feature a popular character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Lords of the Sith will bridge the gap between Episode III and the new Star Wars Rebels animated show. Did we mention that the book also features probably the most bad-ass cover art of all time?

Fall 2015 - Imperial Handbook: A Commanders Guide

A new Beck and Meyer collectible to put on your 2015 Christmas wishlist, the Imperial Handbook comes in a cylindrical case that opens with lights and sounds, but it's what is on the inside that is really interesting. The promotional flyer promises that the handbook will contain a compendium of Imperial military tactics and famous battle reports, giving readers the best insight yet into the inner workings of the Imperial military.

December 18th 2015 - Star Wars: Episode VII

A date that is already etched on the brain of Star Wars fans across the globe, December 18th will no doubt see lines of people outside movie theaters, braving the midnight cold to be among the first to witness the J.J Abrams era. Whether or not they will like what they see, however, well that's impossible to tell.

You can purchase the beta pack for the RPG expansion, but there's still no news on when the full kit and rulebook will be released. It was meant to be before June 2014, so we remain hopeful that this happens because Edge of Empire has been so much damn fun to play and we want more. Side note, not long after Age of Rebellion is released, Beta packs will be made available for the Jedi expansion Star Wars: Force and Destiny.

Star Wars Rebels will be Disney and LucasFilm's first major entry into the new canon universe. Following Ezra, Kanan and Hera, Rebels is set during the events that sparked the creation of the great Rebellion and should involve a number of cameos from Original Trilogy characters. The show's main antagonist is a Jedi-hunter named The Inquisitor who undoubtedly looks like the best part of the whole show. That being said, Star Wars Rebels will be mandatory viewing for Star Wars fans young and old.

Disney's Phineas and Ferb make a special appearance in this new retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope. The pair are living happily next door to Luke Skywalker on Tatooine when they are dragged into the battle between the Empire and the Rebels. Meanwhile, Darth Enshmirtz is busy honing his latest weapon, the Sith-inator and Candace is unleashing her force of Stormtroopers across the galaxy.

Another victim of the changing of the guard at Star Wars HQ, the release of Star Wars Detours was postponed last year. However, at MegaCon this year, creator Seth Green said he was confident that all 30 episodes of the show would be released at some point in the near future.

There's still no word when the MMO will be available to the general public, but rumor has it that developers are aiming at some time in early 2015. Future Beta tests are expected throughout 2014, so keep your ears to the ground.